Four McWeddings And A Funeral
by Lizzie9
Summary: Four different cities. Four different weddings. The end of an era. Tears and laughter, sadness and joy. It was the things they shared, and what it meant to them. We live, we love and we die, yet the circle remains unbroken. Sequel to Forever And A Day.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Four Mc Weddings And A Funeral**

**Author: Sara and Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, and sex**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Grey's.**

**Summary: Sequel To 'Forever And A Day'. The funeral of a loved one. The weddings of Cristina and Burke, Izzie and Alex, Addison and Mark and George and Callie. They span cities, they encounter trouble, they meet people from the past. And they get through it all.**

**Author's Note: The final part in our trilogy (sequel to Forever and a day). The weddings, etc. Humor, drama, you know us. **

**REVIEW!**

Part One  
April

_It was Harry Chapin who song about life being a circle. The more I think about it, he might be right. Maybe what goes around does come around. Maybe they people in your life form a circle with you. I have found that even in the darkest of days that circle remains unbroken. _

Richard Webber opened the front door of his house to find Meredith on the stoop. He smiled warmly at her. She was dressed simply, in her usual jeans and t-shirt, sunglasses he was sure had been a gift from Addison. Her wedding rings sparkled on her fingers. Richard smiled warmly at her. She had been his favorite in her group of interns. Maybe he wasn't supposed to have a favorite, but she was so much like her mother. Strong and smart. Just like Ellis.

He had walked her down the aisle when she married Derek. Met her at the end of the church in that white dress Addison had flown her to New York to find. She was special to him, more than just another doctor on his payroll. When he retired in September, she would be one of the people he still knew.

"Meredith, what can I do for you?" he asked, stepping aside to let her in.

"Nothing, Chief." She told him. "I'm here to see Adele." He was confused, but he invited her anyway and led her to the massive kitchen where his wife was cooking him breakfast. He sensed this was not a conversation for him to overhear and he excused himself. Meredith waited for Adele to finish stirring something in one of her huge stainless steel pots. She finally looked up and smiled. It had taken some time to warm to Meredith. She was, after all, the daughter of the woman who almost destroyed her marriage, but eventually, she had come to love Meredith much like a child of her own. "What can I do for you, Mrs. Shepherd?" she asked, eliciting a smile from the young woman. The way that girl lit up when anyone mentioned Derek.

Meredith suddenly looked up at her, serious now, the smile gone. "I never knew my mother." She said. "She was too busy saving other people's daughters to worry about knowing her own." Adele nodded.

"I know, baby." She said.

"Richard knew my mother." Meredith continued. "As a person, not just a surgeon. To him, she was more than the hand that held the scalpel."

"Was?" Adele asked. Meredith nodded, willing away the tears that filled her eyes anyway.

"She died last night. And I wanted to ask you if you would mind, I mean, if it would bother you, if I asked Richard to deliver her eulogy. I want someone who knew my mother to be the one to talk about her life." Adele moved from behind the counter and wrapped her arms around Meredith.

"You go in there and ask him, baby." She said. Meredith pulled back and smiled at her, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Thank you." She whispered. Richard came into the kitchen through the swinging door and stopped short when he saw them hugging.

"Derek's not cheating on you, is he?" he asked dubiously. Meredith laughed shortly through her tears.

"No, of course not, chief." She said. "It's um, I need to tell you something. My mother died last night." She whispered.

Richard sat down slowly on a stool that sat next to the island and nodded. "What was it?"

Meredith shrugged. "She just… died." She said, feeling tears well up in her eyes again. "She's just gone. And no one knows yet, not even Derek. I wanted to ask you first, if you would be the one to speak at the funeral. You were the only one that ever really knew her."

Richard looked down at his hands as it all suddenly made sense. Meredith had asked Adele if she would mind if he spoke about Ellis. He nodded. "I'd be honored." He said, standing and patting her on the shoulder. She smiled and thanked him, and he told her to take the day off. "You should go to Derek." Richard said, knowing that he was where she would find her comfort. Meredith nodded and headed home.

* * *

Home was her mother's house. It was her house now, actually. Well, hers and Derek's anyway. She parked in the driveway and headed inside to find her husband standing over a coffee pot. "Mer." He said, when she came into the kitchen. "Where were you? I was worried."

She tried to steel herself against the tears, but her face crumbled and a sob racked her body. Derek's arms were around her before she could think of anything to say, so she just buried her head into his chest and cried. He stroked her hair and whispered that he loved her into her ear. When her heaving sobs had subsided enough to speak, she looked up at him. "My mom died." She whispered. He pulled her closer to him.

"Meredith, I'm so sorry." He whispered.

"It's stupid." She said. "It's not like she knew me anyway. I just always hoped that we would have more time."

He shook his head and tightened his grasp around her. "It's not stupid Meredith. You're hurting. That's never stupid." When she had composed herself, he poured them both cups of coffee and they sat at the table.

"I went to see Richard and Adele." She said. "I got the call from the nursing home and all I could think of was her funeral. And who would talk about her life. I knew I couldn't, so I went right over there and asked Richard." Derek reached across the table for her hand, which she intertwined with his gratefully.

"I'll help you do this, Meredith." He said. "You know that."

She smiled. "What haven't you helped me with? Whatever force it was that brought us back together, Derek, I'm so glad it did."

He smiled back at her and leaned over to kiss her. "Not as glad as I am."

The doorbell rang shattering the moment, and Meredith knew it was Cristina. She had called her while Derek was pouring the coffee and doing the supportive husband thing. She didn't bother to answer the door; Cristina knew enough to just come inside.

When she appeared in the kitchen doorway, she bit her lip. Meredith stood and Cristina embraced her. "Are you okay?"

Meredith nodded. "I'm okay. And I'll be fine."

Cristina bit her lip again. "I know your mom just died. And I know you have the day off to grieve and have comfort sexy with McDreamy, and this is going to come out way more narcissistic than it should, be we have an absolute wedding crisis."

Meredith smiled and motioned for Cristina to sit, glad to have something to take her mind off of her mother. Cristina only started pacing. Meredith raised an eyebrow at Derek. "Oh, it must be bad."

**So there you have it. First chapter. Check out 'Keeping The Faith', 'Loud And Clear', 'It Takes A Village' and 'Fireworks'. **

**And REVIEW. PLEASE?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Four Mc Weddings And A Funeral**

**Author: Sara and Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, and sex**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Grey's.**

**Summary: Sequel To 'Forever And A Day'. The funeral of a loved one. The weddings of Cristina and Burke, Izzie and Alex, Addison and Mark and George and Callie. They span cities, they encounter trouble, they meet people from the past. And they get through it all.**

**Author's Note: The final part in our trilogy (sequel to Forever and a day). The weddings, etc. Humor, drama, you know us. This chapter concludes part one, and next chapter will start the focus on Burke and Cristina's wedding. **

**REVIEW**

Part One: The End Of An Era  
April

"_My mother owns a restaurant in Alabama." –Preston Burke, Thanks For The Memories, Season 2_

Cristina stopped pacing and looked at Meredith and Derek. "We've resolved the debacle over where to have the wedding."

Meredith sipped her coffee, confused. "But that's good right? No more debacle?" Her mouth formed a circle as she realized why Cristina was so upset. For weeks, she'd been fighting with her mother about having the wedding in Seattle. Her mom was dead set on having a huge Beverly Hills blow out, but Cristina had been protesting she'd rather slit her wrists in her wedding dress. "Beverly Hills?" she guessed. Cristina shook her head.

"No, Mer. Funny you should say that, because I thought that was as horrifying as the possibility of the wedding could get, but you know, this might actually be worse." Meredith narrowed her eyes at her best friend, wracking her brain. Obviously, they would not be getting married in Seattle. That would be a good thing, and this was obviously not good. She knew that Burke went to Hopkins. And Tulane…. She looked up, wide eyed and horrified at her friend. "No…" she gasped.

"What?" Derek asked. He was no where near mastering the language of Meredith and Cristina. "What did I miss?"

"I'm getting married in Alabama!" Cristina all but shrieked. Derek's eyebrows shot up and he looked at Meredith.

"Burke is from Alabama?"

Meredith rolled her eyes. "Where have you been? Tulane? His parents and those strangely Southern accents they've got?"

He smiled at her. "I've got more important things to worry about than Mrs. Burke." He said, leaning in to kiss her again. She smiled against his lips. This was going to be okay. The panic she had felt all morning was lessening. She had Derek. She was going to be okay. Cristina cleared her throat.

"As much as I love to watch you guys make out, I do have to worry about Mrs. Burke!" Meredith broke away from Derek and fought back laughter. It was very rare that Cristina lost her cool composure, and Meredith really liked it when her normally sarcastic voice took on high pitched strains.

"Cristina, we can handle this." She said. "Think about everything we've been through. Alabama can't be that hard." She reasoned.

"How would I know?" Cristina yelped. "I've never been to Alabama. Burke is the only person I know who's ever been to Alabama! No one goes to Alabama!" Meredith waited for the other shoe to drop. She knew Cristina could handle the senior Burkes. She knew Alabama would be trying, but it wasn't as devastating as… "Okay. I'm scared." Cristina blurted out. "Terrified. I'm scared of Alabama, and backwoods and the Deep South. But I'm also scared of getting married."

Meredith nodded, determined she would not make a big deal out of her best friend's sudden show of feelings.

"Marriage doesn't have to be scary." She said softly. "It's a lot like not being married. You live with him, you have sex with him, and you work with him. The only real difference is now you have a shiny ring." Meredith supplied. "Oh, and if you were ever to split up and he would fall for another woman, the wife title means he has to try with you." She said, flashing a brilliant smile at Derek.

"If Burke is lucky, you'll turn out to be almost as funny as she is." Derek retorted dryly. Cristina rolled her eyes at them, but she looked considerably less panicked. Meredith leaned over and whispered something to Derek, who kissed her, nodded and got up. He mussed Cristina's hair as he past her. "I'll be back in half an hour."

Cristina turned to Meredith. "Where the hell is he going?"

Meredith shrugged. "Richard gave you the day off?" Cristina nodded, and Meredith felt grateful to their chief of surgery for the millionth time in two hours. Giving her best friend the day off was not necessary, but infinitely helpful. "He'll be back soon." She said evasively. Cristina poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Whatever." She said, sitting down.

Derek returned, true to his word, twenty minutes later. He steered Cristina to the living room and picked up Meredith and deposited her on the couch next to her friend. "I've got Sweet Home Alabama and Crazy In Alabama." He said, brandishing a Blockbuster bag.

Cristina blinked at him. "Seriously, Derek? Chick Flicks?" He picked up another bag.

"And food. Chick flicks and food."

Cristina rooted through the bag. "I'll take it." She said, popping a DVD out of the box and getting up to put it in the player. Derek sat down next to Meredith and put his arm around her, pulling her into his chest.

"Do you want me to take the day off?"

She shook her head. "Don't cancel your surgery." She said. "I'll be fine with Cristina, and we can talk when you get home, all right?" He planted a gentle kiss to her lips, bade them both goodbye and left for the hospital.

It didn't take long for best friends to become engrossed in the movie. "Mer, that guy looks just like McDreamy." Cristina commented, biting into a cookie.

Meredith wrinkled her nose. "Who, pretty boy? The mayor's son? Seriously? He looks like McDreamy with like, half the hair and twice the ears." Cristina cocked her head and looked at the screen.

"Whatever. This isn't calming me down. This is making Alabama look worse than I had imagined."

"It's calming _me_ down." Meredith said. "Just shut up and watch her choose her estranged husband."

Cristina arched an eyebrow at her. "That's calming you down?" Meredith brandished her wedding and engagement rings at her friend. "Good point." Cristina said.

* * *

"Where's Cristina?" Derek asked Meredith as he walked into the door, seeing the light from the TV illuminate the dark living room. He walked into the living room and saw his wife, sitting on the couch, her knees drawn to her chest, tears pouring down her cheeks. He glanced at the television and saw Ellis Grey cutting into someone's head. "Oh, Meredith." He whispered. He turned off the television and sat down on the couch. For the second time today, he picked Meredith up in his arms, this time, he climbed the stairs and carried her to their bed.

She curled up in a ball, sobbing harder, and he just dropped his briefcase and laid down next to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her as close to him as he possibly could. "I'm so sorry, Mer." He whispered. "I know you'll miss her."

She shook her head, struggling to get words out through her sobs. "I won't miss her." She gasped. "And I feel so guilty for that. She was so alone, Derek. She died all alone."

Derek shook his head. "Don't feel guilty. One day you'll realize that you miss her. And she wasn't alone, Mer. Somewhere inside her, she knew you were with her." Meredith buried her head into his chest. When her sobs had subsided she lifted her head and touched her lips to his. She shifted herself so she was partially underneath him. "Meredith are you sure?"

She nodded. She needed him now. "Please, Derek." She whispered, reaching for the buttons on his oxford shirt un buttoning them slowly. She reached all the way down and unbuckled his belt, and he nodded and when his pants were undone, gently moved her arms over her head and tugged her shirt off.

They had a lot of sex, more than most married couples. Maybe it was because they had always had a lot of sex. Or maybe because they didn't have kids to worry about, they had a lot of sex, but tonight was different. There was desperation to Meredith that Derek hadn't felt underneath him in a long time. She clung to him, and tears were shining in her eyes the entire time. He leaned down to her ear. "You're alive, Mer." He whispered.

* * *

She returned to her normal self over the next few days. Not the distracted normalcy she had felt that first day with Cristina, but a true acceptance that there was nothing she could do to change this. She had to reconcile the time she did have with her mother, and realize, that like Derek had told her, she was still very much alive. The day of the funeral came all to fast for her. It was a run of the mill event until Richard took the podium.

"On the morning of Ellis's death, Meredith asked me if I would speak about her mother." He said to the room full of Meredith's friends and scores of top notch surgeons who had known Ellis.

"We all know Ellis Grey. There are a lot of doctors here. We've all used the Grey method. We know her as the brilliant, ambitious Ellis Grey. But there were layers to the woman that far too few people had the privilege of seeing. Ellis was, for lack of a better term, a lifesaver. She gave her entire life to saving others, at the sacrifice of more than I can fathom to this day." He paused and looked out among the mourners.

"She was passionate and motivated. She was the best. That was both her gift and her curse. Because Ellis, being Ellis, couldn't just be the best in Seattle or New York or Boston. She had to spread her talents and reach out to more people. The MAYO clinic. The UN. Countless texts that my interns at Seattle Grace are still studying. I've never met a woman who saved so many." He cleared his throat and looked up.

"With the death of Ellis, comes the end of an era. She was one of the greats in a time where medicine and medical technology were advancing faster than she could have imagined. Her death brings both the end of that era and the dawning of a new one. Ellis is survived by her daughter Meredith Grey, a brilliant, warm, loving doctor. Surgeons like Meredith and her husband and her friends are the next generation. The next lifesavers. I know Ellis is listening in on this, and I know she's glad that they're alive."


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: Four Mc Weddings And A Funeral**

**Author: Sara and Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, and sex**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Grey's.**

**Summary: Sequel To 'Forever And A Day'. The funeral of a loved one. The weddings of Cristina and Burke, Izzie and Alex, Addison and Mark and George and Callie. They span cities, they encounter trouble, they meet people from the past. And they get through it all.**

**Author's Note: The final part in our trilogy (sequel to Forever and a day). The weddings, etc. Humor, drama, you know us. **

**It's been awhile since we updated, but we've been busy spring breaking in NYC. Here's the latest. Our good friends Paul and Vic return. Read 'A Little Something Called Forever' and 'Forever And A Day' if you're lost.**

**REVIEW**

Part Two: Sweet Home Alabama  
June

_Just when I thought I had forgotten, you came back soft, without a sound._

"What are you doing?" Meredith asked Cristina. "It's like, eighty degrees out here." She said, looking strangely at Cristina's long sleeve shirt. Cristina glared at her.

"I'm gearing up for a late June wedding in Alabama. If I adjust my body to heat now, I might not sweat all over my Vera Wang." She said. Meredith bit back laughter and nodded.

"Good plan." She said as they stopped walking mid parking lot. She pushed her sunglasses on top of her head, and Cristina shot her a look.

"What is on your head?" she asked. Meredith looked down and gave her a sheepish shrug.

"Dolce and Gabbana?" she answered tentatively. It was Cristina's turn to stifle a laugh, but she was Cristina, so she didn't bother to stifle, she just snorted.

"Dolce and Gabbana?" Cristina asked.

Meredith blushed and shrugged. "They were a gift."

"Yea, okay, Addison." Cristina said meanly. Meredith rolled her eyes and turned to her. She was trying to be supportive, but she was rapidly tiring of Cristina's attitude.

"Cristina, snap out of it. This is a good thing. You are getting married to Burke. You love him right?"

"Of course I do."

"And you want to marry him?"

"Yes." Cristina snapped defensively. Meredith rolled her eyes at her friend.

"Then stop whining! Everyone has problems. You are getting married, yes in Alabama, but you are marrying the guy you love, so deal with it." Cristina raised her eyebrows.

"Mer, I'm impressed."

"Are you dealing?" Meredith demanded.

Cristina sighed and nodded. "I'm dealing. Whatever."

"Will you put a t-shirt on?" Meredith asked in the same tone.

Cristina rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mom, I will put a t-shirt on." Meredith nodded and together they started walking again, a lazy saunter into the hospital. Cristina pushed her sleeves up and fanned herself while Meredith started humming Sweet Home Alabama under her breath.

"That is not helping me deal." Cristina snapped. Meredith laughed at her.

"Yeah, it must be really hard for you, marrying McSexy." Cristina made a face and stopped walking again.

"McSexy?" she repeated.

Meredith nodded empathetically. "Burke's the strong, silent type. You know, tall, dark and handsome. McSexy." Cristina considered her, and then finally nodded appreciatively.

"McSexy it is then."

* * *

Three thousand miles away, in her office at Lennox Hill Hospital, Addison pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and sighed. In a few short months, she would be adding yet another last name. Forbes and Montgomery were beyond her control, but Shepherd and Sloan were a wealth of emotional baggage she had brought on herself. 

When Mark had first proposed, the idea of an actual ceremony seemed light years away, but now, here they were, finalizing the details of their upcoming wedding. And Addison felt paralyzed by a cold, hard fear. When she had walked down the aisle the first time in Vera Wang, she had seen Derek in his Tom Ford for Gucci tux, to be the one. The end of the road, the one she would spend her forever with. Turns out he wasn't. Now, she felt the same way about Mark. But what if he wasn't either? What if there was no one for her forever, and she would only end up hurting him? She shook her thoughts away and tried to distract herself.

She opened her favorites list and directed her browser to her favorite website. Nurse Debbie's Blog. "Shepherd Squared. Still in the honeymoon stage." She read under her breath. She settled into her chair and read the post.

_Apparently, this married couple isn't having any libido problems. Derek and Meredith Shepherd seen disappearing into a linen closet today, during working hours. Mrs. Shepherd was giggling like a school girl as her husband tugged her inside. Yours truly happened to be passing by the linen closet later when Miranda Bailey found them in the throes, and started screaming at them loud enough for the whole hospital to hear. _

Addison's pager went off, vibrating enough to move over her desk. She picked it up and closed the window, chuckling to herself, and saving the rest of Debbie's writing for another time. She headed to the nurse's station where she was paged. "Phone for you, Dr. Montgomery." One of the nurses said.

"Hello?"

"Hey, She Shepherd. Don't pick up your cell anymore?"

"Cristina." Addison greeted, ignoring the She Shepherd nickname for now. "You better be calling me about a wedding location."

"Alabama." Cristina said without missing a beat. Addison laughed.

"Good one, Yang."

"Yeah, not kidding."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. And you with the laughing? Not helping. Burke will send you information about tickets and stuff." Addison stifled her laughter and tried to find her serious voice.

"Right. We'll look forward to that." Shortly after, she hung up the phone, pushing her own doubts aside for the time being. Cristina was far worse off.

* * *

The desolate halls of the King County Jail provided a stark contrast to him. He was dashing, well groomed and tastefully colorful. He looked down and watched his feet as he walked, marveling at the difference between the dirty cement floor and his polished Gucci loafers. He sighed heavily, sat down at the booth and picked up the phone. Paul Williams looked through the glass partition at his sister.

"Victoria." He said in his clipped, British accent. "Oh, Vic." She smiled weakly at him.

"Hi Paul." She responded. He dropped his head into one of his hands.

"I would have been here sooner, but Mom and Dad thought we should wait until the press died down." Victoria nodded. Her parents were like that about everything. Negative attention was bad for business and their billion dollar corporation was everything to them. "Victoria, I feel so responsible. I never should have told you how badly I was feeling about Meredith. If I had handled it myself…"

"Paul, don't be ridiculous." Victoria snapped. "That woman broke you. You're not the person you were before her, and we both know it. And what if she would have told someone about your disease?"

"But Victoria, attempting to kill her? God, you've ruined your life." He said, looking at her seriously through the glass in disbelief. His broken engagement had hit him harder than he expected, but trying to kill his ex fiancée? He never would have thought Victoria would take it that far, despite the intense loyalty she harbored for her family.

She scoffed at him. "My life hardly ruined. I'll be out in a year or two on good behavior." She said, making air quotes around the words. Paul nodded, knowing good behavior translated to being the heiress to billions of dollars.

"But Vic, your career is over." He said softly, feeling guilty.

She rolled her eyes. "Like I need a career." She said, her tone pleasantly bitchy. She could work for her father. Or she could not work at all. It didn't matter. She gazed intensely at her brother. "Paul, look at you. You need to move on. Find someone. You should talk to Meredith _Shepherd_." She said, spitting out the words. "Get closure, and move on, Paul."

Thirty minutes later, Paul was on his way out, ready to be whisked to the airport, where his private plane was waiting to take him back to Los Angeles. He sighed and thought about what his sister said. She was right, which pained him, since her extreme measures had nearly ruined her forever. But she was right. Meredith had broken him, and he did need closure.

Paul was young, but there was no telling exactly how much time he really had. He settled into the back seat of his Lincoln Town car. Closure, he thought, would be just the thing he needed to move on. He had to find Meredith.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: Four Mc Weddings And A Funeral**

**Author: Sara and Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, and sex**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Grey's.**

**Summary: Sequel To 'Forever And A Day'. The funeral of a loved one. The weddings of Cristina and Burke, Izzie and Alex, Addison and Mark and George and Callie. They span cities, they encounter trouble, they meet people from the past. And they get through it all.**

**Author's Note: The final part in our trilogy (sequel to Forever and a day). The weddings, etc. Humor, drama, you know us. **

**It took so long to update this. Everything actually. We're recovering from writer's block. Hope you still like it/us.**

**REVIEW**

Part Two: Sweet Home Alabama  
June

They looked like the cast of a summer blockbuster arriving on location, or the ensemble of a sexy television drama posing for a photo shoot. Cristina and Burke led the way, chatting quietly to themselves, with Meredith and Derek behind them, Derek's arms wrapped around her waist. Izzie and Alex laughed to George and Callie at the rear of their group. They stepped outside the automatic doors of the Birmingham International Airport, their faces masked by sunglasses, their clothes matching and proportional. They were a group of exceptionally attractive people, and they got noticed.

"Oh my God." Izzie said, disentangling her hand from Alex's to fan herself. "It's freaking hot out here." Meredith's eyes roamed over the people outside of the airport until she saw who she was looking for. Red hair. Six hundred dollar sunglasses adorned with interlocking C's, perched on top of a suitcase, pulling her sticky hair away from her neck. Meredith squealed and ripped herself from Derek, sprinting several feet and throwing her arms around the neck of the woman who looked ridiculously sophisticated to be waiting outside an airport in Alabama.

"Addie!" Meredith squealed again as they hugged. Addison wrapped her arms around her friend a little tighter than she normally would have.

"Meredith, thank God." She said. Meredith frowned and pulled back, looking at her, and seeing the reflection of uncertainty in the older woman's eyes. She nodded slowly, letting Addison know that she understood. Derek watched them embrace and smile, and then hug again. He smiled to himself in the Southern heat.

"What the hell took you so long?" Mark asked from behind his aviator sunglasses. "It's only like five thousand degrees out here. And Miss never leaves the house without Chanel Number five on has attracted every mosquito in Alabama." Meredith hugged Mark quickly and kissed him on the cheek.

"Plane got delayed in Seattle." She said.

"Raining." Derek piped up, approaching them and wrapping his arms around Mark, clapping him on the back, then kissing Addison's cheek.

"I should have guessed." Mark said dryly. The rest of the group joined them, and the reunion began. It was like this every time they were all together. The questions, the teasing, the jokes. The ruffling of hair, the light punching of forearms. Meredith smiled to herself. This was family. All her life she had wandered what family was, and this was it. Burke glanced at his watch and cleared his throat. "Our rental cars should be ready and waiting." He said. Together, they trudged towards the rental car area.

"Jesus Christ Burke." Cristina snapped, struggling under her luggage. "I just sweat out every bodily fluid I have."

"Start a central line, Yang." Alex quipped.

"Oh, suck it, Evil Spawn." She retorted. "I need air conditioning. Now."

* * *

Meredith opened the doors leading to the little balcony in their hotel room. It was a place she thought you'd only find in Alabama. Somewhere between a bed and breakfast and a small hotel, it was charming. She liked it here, really. Derek's strong arms circled around her waist and pulled her towards him. She twisted her head around to kiss him. She turned around to face him, settling her arms around his neck.

"They're really getting married." She murmured. Derek just smiled down at her, kissing her lips and trailing soft kisses down her neck.

"Getting married." He remarked. "Best thing I ever did." She smiled at him and played with his hair, still wet from his shower. "To Addison, of course." He said, smirking. Meredith pulled her shirt over her head, and reached down, yanking the terrycloth towel from around Derek's waist.

"I guess you don't want me then." She said, airily. "I'll just get in the shower, and you can, do the cross word and pine for Addison, or something." She started walking towards the bathroom when he grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the huge bed that took up almost the entire room. She laid back against the pillows, and he slid off her underwear, and kneeled at the bottom of the bed, watching her. Naked, she lay there, her hair fanning out in all directions, her chest rising and falling quickly as she anticipated what was to happen. Shockwaves flew up and down her spine.

He made his way up the bed and kissed her, softly at first. She smiled into his mouth and parted her lips to let his tongue into her mouth. The heat from outside streamed through the still open doors. Derek's and settled on her thin hips, and traveled slowly up her sides and over her body. A fluttering sigh escaped her swollen lips, as her hands ran over the smooth muscles of his back. She pulled him down on top of her, relishing the feeling of his bare skin on hers. They fit perfectly together; always had, always would. It was hot in the room, the dense humidity of the outside filling it completely. Derek watched his wife in awe as a thin sheen of sweat gathered on her chest. She looked at him with wide, eager eyes and nodded.

"Derek…" she whispered. He understood, and raised his body slowly, balancing his weight on his arms. When he lowered himself again, he slid inside of her slowly, causing her back to rise into a perfect arch, and an almost melodic cry to escape her lips. It was perfect, always perfect, he though hazily. They were always perfect.

"Oh my God, we're going to be so late. Cristina and Burke are going to kill us." Meredith said, rolling over in their sweat soaked sheets to face Derek, a smile gracing her lips. "You need to shower again."

"So do you." He said back, like they were small children arguing. "Care to join me? Eliminate the late problem?" Meredith rolled her eyes and pushed him off the bed towards the bathroom.

"That would not help the late problem." She muttered, fondly thinking of the bending technique he had been known to employ. "I'm going to go use Mark and Addison's shower. When my legs start working again."

Derek grinned and cocked his head to one side. "You're so lucky to have me." He said, shaking his head. Meredith burst out laughing and Derek frowned.

"Keep telling yourself that, Der." She said, rising off the bed and pulling his boxers and button down shirt. She ran across the hall and knocked on Mark and Addison's door. Addison answered it, holding her eyelash curler in one hand. "I need to use your shower." Meredith said, pushing past her into the room where Mark was pulling on socks.

"Your hair is soaked." Addison said, picking at a strand. "You looked like you just showered. Either that or you were working out."

"Addison, can I just use the shower?"

"What could you have possibly done to get so disgustingly sweaty?" Addison asked, making a face. Meredith rolled her eyes and gestured to her outfit. Mark snorted into his hand and tried not to laugh out loud. Addison wrinkled her nose. "I should have guessed." She rolled her eyes, and led Meredith to their bathroom. "Please shower." She pleaded.

* * *

"You were so busy sexing each other up you practically missed my freaking wedding rehearsal?" Meredith opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off. "Like you and McDreamy don't have enough sex to make all the rest of us jealous. Couldn't you wait?"

"Cristina!" Meredith said. "We're here. We're early. I'm ready to do all sorts of silly maid of honor things. Stop projecting your stress onto me." She snapped.

"You're here because you had to use Addison's shower." Meredith turned and glared at Addison and Mark who did their best to feign innocence.

"And for the details of my life, please tune into radio Addison." She muttered under her breath. She grabbed her best friends arm. "Hey." She said softly. "This is you and Burke. This is a good thing. It's all going to go fine."

"Until his mother is in the picture. She intimidates me on my home turf. Now it's like, we're having this dinner in her restaurant. And my mother is here. This is a terrible situation, Mer. A calamity."

"This is a wedding. Your wedding. To Preston Burke. It's going to be fine. It's going to be beautiful, okay?"

Cristina nodded slowly, taking some deep breaths. "Beautiful. Got it." Meredith nodded and grinned broadly. "What?" Cristina snapped.

Meredith chuckled. "For one, I'm the one calming you down. Saying calming things." Cristina rolled her eyes.

"Give it a week or two and you'll be hyperventilating, heaving tequila into a bathtub or something. Some things never change, Mer."

* * *

Even Cristina had to admit it was prefect. Romantic, even, and she hated romantic. But the dinner was outside, on the deck behind the restaurant. The lighting was soft, the air was pleasantly warm. It was perfect. Their parents stood at the helm of the long table, and Cristina groaned as her mother started speaking. "Cristina was always such an ambitious girl." She said in her accent. "One track mind. Success. Surgery. I thought she would never get married. The first time I met Dr. Burke, he was the last person I thought she would ever marry. But all any mother wants for her daughter is happiness. And that's what I have for mine."

Cristina closed her eyes as Burke's mother stood to speak. "The first time I met Cristina Yang, she was straddling my son in lingerie." Mrs. Burke said. "Needless to say, I have grown to hold her in a higher esteem since then. She is beautiful and caring and I could not hope to Preston marry anyone else."

Cristina blushed as her friends burst out laughing around them. So it was almost perfect.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: Four Mc Weddings And A Funeral**

**Author: Sara and Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, and sex**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Grey's.**

**Summary: Sequel To 'Forever And A Day'. The funeral of a loved one. The weddings of Cristina and Burke, Izzie and Alex, Addison and Mark and George and Callie. They span cities, they encounter trouble, they meet people from the past. And they get through it all.**

**Author's Note: The final part in our trilogy (sequel to Forever and a day). The weddings, etc. Humor, drama, you know us. **

**So this is how the wedding SHOULD HAVE gone. It's been awhile since we updated this story, because it was hard to write the characters in positive lights with the show being so negative, but we tried.**

**REVIEW**

**Part Two: Sweet Home Alabama  
June**

Meredith bit her lip and eyed Cristina, trying to suppress the huge grin that threatened to spread across her face. Cristina narrowed her eyes at her. "What?" she snapped.

Meredith shook her head calmly and took a sip of coffee. She looked back up, grinning like a crazy person. "It's just that you look so bridal." She said. Mrs. Burke smiled at Meredith, her own eyes misting over as they landed on Cristina.

"She does look surprisingly bridal, doesn't she?" she asked.

Cristina's head snapped up. "What? Wait, why is that surprising? I can do bridal. I can do anything."

Izzie rolled her eyes. "Of course you can Cristina." She said dryly from her place on the bed in between Addison and Callie. They were in Cristina's hotel room, working on their hair and makeup. Cristina had vehemently refused the idea of getting someone to do it for them, for fear they'd all come out looking like Dolly Parton, so they did it themselves.

Addison sighed as she watched Cristina pin up another strand of her hair. "Who would have thought that first year that out of all of you, this one would be the first to get married?" she asked, jerking her thumb at Meredith.

Meredith made a face at her and took another sip of her coffee, the diamonds on her finger glinting in the light that filtered through the windows for effect. Callie rolled her eyes. "Okay, Mer. We know he got you a rock you can hide under in the rain." Meredith looked at her blankly, then at her finger. She blushed and switched hands.

Izzie stretched and smiled happily. "Pretty soon we'll all be married." She said, her tone verging on gushing.

Mrs. Burke looked up. "All three of you young ladies are getting married?" Addison bit back a smile at being called a young lady at the ripe old age of forty four, but she nodded anyway, a rush of apprehension washing over her as she did it. Meredith, noticing the look on her face shot her a concerned look, and Addison mouthed 'later' to her.

Meredith bit her lip, worried for her friend, but she soon forgot about it when Mrs. Yang came bustling in, fussing over Cristina.

* * *

"Today's the day, Preston." Derek said, clapping him on the back as they sipped their coffee and waited for the waitress to bring their breakfasts. "Nervous?"

Burke shrugged in his usual collected manner. "I don't think she's going to leave me at the altar." He said, smirking at Derek. "I just never thought this day would actually get here."

"It tends to sneak up on you." Derek agreed. Mark snorted into his coffee cup. "What?" Derek asked.

"Oh please." Mark said. "Maybe your first time around snuck up on you, but you and Meredith were lying naked in bed until about five minutes before the wedding started."

Derek opened his mouth to protest, but was drowned out by his friends laughter and the sound of the waitress setting plates of food in front of them. "Shut up, Mark." He muttered. Mark grinned at him.

"I for one am nervous." George said through a huge bite of toast. "I mean its marriage. It's eternal."

"Unless it's Derek and Addison." Alex quipped. Mark grinned and they bumped their fists together. Derek made a face at them as they scoffed at his expense. He vaguely wondered how he had gone from hating Mark and disliking Alex to this point where they shared meals and jokes, and apparently hand gestures. He shook his head and shoveled some breakfast into his mouth.

* * *

Cristina was changing into her dress, and Meredith saw her window of opportunity. She grabbed Addison's elbow and pulled her into the hallway. "Addison." She said sternly. "What's going on?"

Addison bit her lip and wrung her hands together. She didn't know what was going on. She didn't know what to say, or how to say it, how to put her feelings into words. "How can I be sure?" she finally blurted out. "How do I know I'm doing the right thing? Marrying Mark? Because I thought it was the right thing with Derek and look how well that turned out." She said.

Meredith frowned and touched her arm gently. "Addison…" she said softly, unsure of where to go from there. Addison pulled away and shook her head.

"It's me, Meredith. All this time I've been thinking it was them, but it's me. Derek loves you. He loves you more than anything. He never loved me like that. I used to think it was Derek and his issues, but he loves you. It was me and my issues that ruined everything." She said quickly.

"Meredith!" Cristina shouted. "Meredith, where the hell are you? I need some help with this fucking torturous fabric!" She hollered from the other side of the door. They heard a cough sound through the hotel suite. "Sorry Mrs. Burke." Cristina said.

Meredith looked at Addison. "This talk is not over, okay?" she told her. She went back into the suite to help her best friend, and Addison slumped against the hotel wall, confused and desperate.

Finally, the dress was on, the mothers had stopped hovering, and the bridal party, consisting of Meredith and Cristina, was at the back of the church. At the alter, stood Burke and Derek. Burke was fidgeting, fixing everything he could think to fix.

"You okay?" Derek asked.

Burke smirked at him. "Please Shep." He said smugly. "I'm always okay." Derek rolled his eyes at him and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Oh, Preston. Some things never change." He said.

Burke shook his head. "Everything changes, Derek. Eventually, everything will change. We just have to learn to deal with it. Getting married to Cristina, it's a change. And I know she's scared. But, we're dealing with it." Derek blinked at him, a little confused.

In the hallway, Cristina was confused as well. "City hall, Meredith." She said. "I wanted freaking City hall. That's it. Now I'm in fucking Alabama wearing a white Vera Wang dress." She said through gritted teeth. Meredith suppressed a smile. "You're not doing a very good job hiding that smirk." Cristina shrieked.

"We all get a freak out." Meredith said, quoting Cristina's words at her own wedding. "Better to take yours now than at the altar."

"Oh shut up." Cristina snapped as the music started playing. "You knew from day one you would end up freaking married to Derek."

Meredith rolled her eyes. "Okay, Cristina, time to stop whining. Put one foot in front of the other, and don't make me drag you down the aisle, okay? If I can do it, you can do it."

Cristina looked at her best friend, showing a rare moment of wide eyed vulnerability. "What if it doesn't work?" she asked.

Meredith swung the door open and started to walk. "You'll never know until you try." She said grinning. She got half way down the aisle, and didn't need to look back to see if Cristina was following her. She just knew.

* * *

"You did it." Meredith said proudly as the reception got into full swing. Catered by Mrs. Burke, and outside under the Alabama sky, it was perfect. Cristina scoffed at her, sipping from her champagne flute.

"Of course I did it." She said. "I'm a surgeon, Mer. I can do anything." Meredith smiled and extended her arms to her friend. Reluctantly, and with and eye roll, Cristina stepped into them and they embraced. Cristina stepped back, making a face. "We got our annual hug out of the way." She declared. "Excuse me while I find my husband."

Meredith smiled and watched her go, feeling a pair of arms wrap around her waist. Lips attached to her neck and she turned around to face Derek. "Hi." She said, smiling.

"They got married." He said, sounding like he almost didn't believe it.

"It's not so hard." Meredith said, grinning. "You should know, right?" Derek made a face at her, and she pressed a kiss to his lips. "I'll never forget it, you know." She said. "Walking up that aisle and seeing you there and knowing that no matter what, you'd be there. You gave me that look, and everything just clicked." She murmured.

Derek smiled and kissed her, longer this time. "Best day of my life." He said softly. Meredith bit her lip and looked up at him.

"Hey," she said, cautiously, "Addie's freaking out." He smiled at her, smiling down upon everything his life had become and shook his head.

"What?" she asked suspiciously.

"You call her Addie." Derek said. "Who ever thought that day would come?"

Meredith smiled softly at him, her eyes shining. "Well she's freaking out. I'm not sure what's wrong, but I think I'm going to fly back to New York with her for a few days." Derek's face fell and Meredith winced. They still had three days off. They had plans for those three days. Sort of. They were going to lie in bed for two of them, and then Derek was going to teach Meredith how to fly fish, and then they were going to lie in bed some more. "I'm sorry, Derek." She said, reaching up to brush some hair out of his face. "I cleared it with Richard. I'm taking the week. She needs me to be there."

Derek clicked his tongue in annoyance and nodded curtly. He wasn't mad at her, just at circumstance. He loved that Meredith and Addison were so close, he really did, but it just never felt right being away from his wife for more than a day or so.

"You have to?" he asked.

She nodded. "I think I do. I've never seen her like this…" she trailed off. "I'm sorry."

Derek shook his head. "I'll change your ticket right now." He said, pulling his phone from the pocket of his suit. She smiled gratefully as he went to a quiet corner to call the airline. She looked around the room and saw Addison, sitting alone at a table, a champagne flute in her hand.

"Hey." She said sitting down. "You're taking a few days off."

Addison shook her head. "Sitting around the brownstone, wallowing in doubt and self pity? So not going to help." She said.

Meredith shrugged. "You won't be sitting around the brownstone. You'll be shopping and sipping coffee in your favorite city and going to dinner at those fancy restaurants you love." Addison arched an eyebrow at her. "Unless you want me to sit around the brownstone and wallow with you."

"Meredith..." Addison said slowly, putting her champagne down. She leaned in towards her friend, her ex husband's wife, and looked at her inquisitively.

"I'm coming to New York." Meredith said.

"What about your time off with Derek?"

Meredith shook her head. "I'm coming to New York." She said. She felt Addison's arms around her immediately. Meredith smiled to herself. She could save another wedding.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: Four Mc Weddings And A Funeral**

**Author: Sara and Lizzie**

**Rating: T for language, and sex**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Grey's.**

**Summary: Sequel To 'Forever And A Day'. The funeral of a loved one. The weddings of Cristina and Burke, Izzie and Alex, Addison and Mark and George and Callie. They span cities, they encounter trouble, they meet people from the past. And they get through it all.**

**Author's Note: Okay. We let this go. We had no idea where to go, and it was hard to write something on the cheerier side with all the angst in the Grey's world, and our world. But here it is. So, uh... **

**REVIEW**

Part Three: New York State Of Mind  
June

Meredith hadn't been able to get on the same plane as Mark and Addison, so she had some time alone as her plane glided from Birmingham to Manhattan. She thought wistfully of Derek, on a plane in the opposite direction, heading for Seattle. She shook off the part of her that desperately wanted to be with him and thought of Addison. Her friend needed her, so she would be there.

But she couldn't shake the feeling that she needed to be in Seattle, which was ridiculous. There was no reason she needed to be… she sighed and shook her head. She would never understand herself sometimes. She was perfectly happy and had everything she wanted, but those feelings of trepidation were unshakable.

She sat back in her seat and put the earphones of her ipod into her ears, switching it on. The Clash came blaring out, making her jump. She smiled to herself, glad to have that little piece of Derek, before switching it off, and turning it down.

* * *

Derek sat on the plane home from Alabama in the window seat. Izzie and Alex were a row in front of him, and George and Callie were a row behind. He looked at the empty seat to his left that should have been occupied by his wife. Sighing and running a hand through his hair, Derek looked out the window, trying to ignore how much he wanted her to be with him in that moment.

He felt a tapping on his shoulder and turned around. "Derek?" Callie asked quietly. "Are you okay?" He sighed and returned her slight smile.

"I'll be fine." He said. "She's been away from me before, right? Something just feels off, I guess. Thanks Callie."

* * *

Mark picked Meredith up from the airport. "I'm dropping you off." He said. "And going to the hospital or something. She's freaking out. I think I might have done something."

Meredith shot him a look. "You? Do something wrong? Shut up." He glared at her.

"A little sensitivity would be nice. I'm just sort of scared, Mer." Mark confided in her. "I've been waiting for this since the first time I laid eyes on her. I just… I'm afraid it's going to fall apart before we get to the finish line."

Meredith smiled. "There you go, reminding me you have feelings." She teased. "Listen Mark. Everything is going to be okay. Give her some space, but don't pull away completely. If Cristina can get married, Addie can get married."

Mark grinned. "Jesus, even I'm ready to get married."

Meredith grinned and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Will wonders never cease?" They entered the Queens Midtown Tunnel in silence, and emerged with Manhattan, it's skyline and rush hour traffic before them.

"Here comes the fun part." Mark quipped. "How pissed was Derek that you flew out here?"

Meredith sighed. "He definitely wasn't happy. He was moping around the entire last day in Alabama."

"I know." Mark said. "Look, he knows that logically, there's no way he should have won you back. I'll deny ever saying this, but my guess is that he's rather terrified that he'll wake up one day and realize it was a dream, and you're married to the British asshole."

"Well, thank you Dr. Freud." Meredith said dryly.

* * *

Derek emptied his suitcase into the laundry machine and took a shower. He collected the mail that had built up while they were away. He turned on Jeopardy and was busy scouring the take out menu selection when the doorbell rang. He blinked, taken aback. None of their friends ever bothered to ring the doorbell.

He walked to the front door, swung it open, and came face to face with Paul Williams. Paul winced as the door opened to reveal Meredith's husband. He regretted his impulsive decision to come to her home immediately. He hovered on her steps awkwardly, neither man speaking.

Derek was shocked, unable to find a reason for Paul to standing on his stoop. Taken aback, he momentarily forgot about the AIDS, and his sister. "Is, uh, Meredith here?" Paul asked, breaking the silence in his clipped British accent.

Comprehension and rage hit Derek like a ton of bricks. "Who the hell do you think you are?" He asked, stepping forward menacingly.

"Dr. Shepherd," Paul said, a cold edge to his voice. "I only want a moment of her time. To, talk to her." He said, a leer to his voice.

"My wife isn't here." Derek said through gritted teeth. "But I'm glad you're here. We need to get something straight. You are going to lose the urge to talk to her right now. You're not going to contact her or go anywhere near her. Do you understand?"

Paul scoffed at him. "I'm hardly about to let you tell me what to do." Derek's hands clenched into fists as he stared at the man before him in contempt.

"She's my wife." He growled. "You are going to stay away from her. You could have killed her. Your sister almost did. Any contact with Meredith, you will regret it." Paul looked taken aback.

"Are you threatening me?" he asked.

Derek's eyes narrowed. "Absolutely. Don't doubt that for a minute. You... you lied to her."

"She lied to me as well!" Paul fired back.

"Her lies were about me!" Derek thundered. "They couldn't have given you HIV! Make no mistake," Derek said his tone low and dangerous. "I will do anything to protect her. And I'm sure as hell not afraid of you."


End file.
